Rail joint



Nov. 9, 1926. 1,606,635

M. c. HINKLE v RAIL JOINT Filed April 10, 1926 72 Malian/71 Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

-UNITED STATES MATHEW C. I'IINKLE, OF GREENBRIER, ARKANSAS.

RAIL JOINT.

Application filed April 10, 1926. Serial No. 101,170.

This invention relates to rail joints and particularly to that class of rail joints wherein the end of one rail is so engaged with the end of the adjacent rail that the rails will not tend to separate, the object being to provide a rail joint of this character which will eliminate the use of fish plates, rail chairs, or the like at the joints.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is very simple and so constructed that the rails may be readily engaged with each other.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the meeting ends of two abutting rails showing my improved rail joint; A

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the end of one of said rails;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the end of the other rail.

Referring to these drawings A and B designate adjoining rails. The rail A is formed with an outwardly projecting tenon 11 disposed intermediate the base of the rail and the top face of the rail. This tenon extends downward and forward and is pref-- erably angled at approximately its middle. The under face of the tenon is formed with the longitudinally extending groove 12 while the upper face of the tenon is formed with an upwardly projecting rib 9r tongue 13. The groove 12 and the tongue 13 extend from the end of the rail to the extremity of the tenon. The rail end B is formed with an inwardly and downwardly extending mortise 14: which is curved in its length so that the tenon 11 will fit therein and the upper wall of this mortise 14 is formed with a groove 15 to receive the tongue 13 while the lower wall of the mortise is formed with the upwardly projecting tongue 16 adapted to fit within the groove 12. The base flanges of the rails will be formed with the usual notches for the reception of rail spikes, and preferably the base of the rail B, which is formed with. the mortise 14, will have re cesses 17 formed therein through which spikes may be driven, this portion of the rail B resting solidly down upon a tie.

It will be seen that when the rails A and B are connected with each other as disclosed, the rails cannot move relatively sidewise because of the interlocking engagement between the tongues 13 and 16 and the grooves 12 and 15 and that the rails cannot move longitudinally because of the inclined Chi 11'? acter of the tenon and mortise joint and because of the curvature of the tenon l1 and the mortise 1 1. The rails may be thus connected to each other without the necessity of using angle irons, fish plates, rail chairs, or the like but the rails may be spiked di rectly down upon a tie. There are no bolts and nuts which can accidentally become loose and practically a continuous rail is effected.

In laying the track, the first rail to be laid is raised into angular relation to the road bed and the next adjacent rail is then disposed in a convergent angular relation and the tongue 11 inserted within the mortise lei and as it is inserted in the mortise, the outer end of the second rail is raised and both rails may be lowered toward the road bed. A third rail is then placed in an upwardly extending convergent relation to the second connected rail and its tongue inserted and so on until the rails are connected. The upwardly extending rails that have been con nected may be supported by jacks as they are being connected and will be gradually lowered until the connected rails will lie practically against the ties, only the outer rails being disposed in a sharply angled relation to the road bed while being connected to the next rail to be applied. 7

I claim In a rail joint, two abutting rails, the ends of the rails being formed to provide heads extending from the base flange of the rail to the tread of the rail and having a width equal to the width of the head of the rail, the head of one rail being formed with a downwardly and outwardly curved tenon and the head of the other rail with a downwardly and inwardly curved mortise, the tenon having a width equal to the head of the rail and the mortise opening upon the side faces of the corresponding head, the upper face of the tenon being formed with an upwardly projecting, longitudinally extending rib and its under face with a longitudinally extending groove, the upper wall of the mortise having a longitudinally ex tending groove to receive the rib, and the lower face of the mortise being formed with a longitudinal rib to engage the groove in the tenon.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

MATHEW C. HINKLE. 

